Website Creation software???

pohaver · #1 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 11:29 AM

I have a parked domain and have been looking at hostmonster as a possible host. I know very little about website creation and want to create an informational site with a forum. It doesn't have to be fancy but have most basic elements of a website. I was looking at a Joomla CMS program, but don't think I am up to developing it from scratch since I don't know coding, very little HTML, etc. I saw where programs like coffeecup and Dreamweaver can do most of the work for you, as you build your site using drag and drop and common language. Any thoughts on using these "easy" programs and uploading them to a host like Hostmonster?

James · #2 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 02:52 PM

pohaver,

You will get two schools of thought on this and they are as likely to converge as Democrats and Republicans!

There are those who recommend using Dreamweaver or some other WYSIWYG ("What You See Is What You Get) program. They are very powerful programs and have some advantages. The primary one I see is that using one allows you to do some more complicated things sooner.

Then there are those of us who think that learning html and css are no more difficult than learning Dreamweaver and that you will need to learn them sooner or later anyway because there are always coding problems that come up which can only be fixed if you know the code. We use NoteTab or some other easy (usually free) Notepad type program and perhaps TopStyle for css if we want.

A forum is something else and you will find several discussions elsewhere about the best program for setting one up. But the real issue is that you need to ask how you are going to get traffic enough to make it work. Lisa has suggested that you need a going site with 1,000 or more hits a day to launch a new forum and get it to work.

ssmorgan · #3 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 02:57 PM

pohaver,

Many people create great looking sites with CoffeeCup or Dreamweaver, and they tend to very easily ftp (transfer the html files created by those softwares) to your web hosting account.

Personally, I had a hard time with CoffeeCup. Probably, because my first experience creating a website was straight up html. In fact, I learned html the summer after my freshman year of college, when I had some down time. I learned it by going to other people's websites, right-clicking, and checking out the source code.

Anyway, CoffeeCup has several programs, so before you buy make sure you download the trial versions for different ones to see which one you get along with the most.

From what I hear, Dreamweaver is awesome, but of course it's a bit pricy compared to CoffeeCup. If you have the money, I would go for Dreamweaver, but if not, I am sure CoffeeCup will help you launch. In fact, I considered getting Dreamweaver and playing around with it if I ever get some free time in the next 10 years (

)

Hope this helps.

Sherif

lisa · #4 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 05:22 PM

Hi pohaver

I wouldn't say that CoffeeCup and Dreamweaver "do most of the work for you" as you put it. Yes, they do help you because if you find a template, you can open the template up in these programs and then make your own custom edits.

I am a fan of Dreamweaver and just really started using it more lately. It is pricey so if it's not in your budget, you may want to try downloading Nvu. http://www.nvu.com/ It's free and I've heard decent reviews.

And as James said, I would wait on the forum. You need traffic to make these work so I would work on your site first, build up your traffic and then launch the forum.

pohaver · #5 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 06:32 PM

Which of the two CMS programs would be the easiest to use in setting up a website without much knowledge of HTML, coding etc?

lisa · #6 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 08:05 PM

First of all Dreamweaver is not a CMS. It is a software program. A CMS builds content on the fly and you choose a template. That's what Joomla does and I would think that would be easier than using Dreamweaver. I've never used Joomla though.

You mentioned two CMS programs so I'm assuming you mean Dreamweaver. Was there another you were looking at?

pohaver · #7 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 08:45 PM

The other program was coffee cup. I want to build a website, but without having to know about HTML and coding? Is that possible? I already have a domain parked.

Gigababbler · #8 (**permalink**) 03-23-2008, 09:40 PM

phavor,

Dreamweaver is probably the best way to go. It has almost everything you need to build your website.

The only downside is that it's too expensive, but believe me, it's well worth the cash.
BTW: If you're really short on cash, you can download it from a torrent site. (not that I support it, it's just an option)

Good luck!
Gigababbler

lisa · #9 (**permalink**) 03-24-2008, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pohaver

The other program was coffee cup. I want to build a website, but without having to know about HTML and coding? Is that possible? I already have a domain parked.

You can still do it but you will find you will slowly pickup HTML as you go. Which is a good thing. I didn't know HTML either when I used FrontPage (wouldn't recommend that software though!) I agree Dreamweaver is best.

mtnkatt69 · #10 (**permalink**) 04-11-2008, 01:50 PM

Hello there,

There are a lot of options as stated previously.
Personally, I like Joomla because it works great whether you know HTML, PHP coding, etc or just know how to use WYSIWYG (which Joomla includes).

If you are a beginner the new Joomla 1.5 is probably the best for you. I like the other version, because I like to edit the code personally.

The main reason I like Joomla, is because it's an Open-Source program, meaning it's not meant for the developers to get rich off it. There is always a lot of help available, and there are people who design editable templates for fun. Actually, http://www.siteground.com/ includes hundreds of templates for free whether you sign up with them or not.

You said you have your domain parked, but if you don't have a hosting plan, siteground.com is the best for Joomla because they install it automatically for you with included templates that you can easily edit.

I know I'm rambling, but Joomla has helped me learn a lot about designing websites. There are also a lot of extensions and modules that you can install for your website, like Calendars, blogging, chat rooms, and much more for free.

I like Dreamweaver, though, with many Adobe applications they seem a little costly for me and takes a while to learn all of the in and outs.

If you are curious about HTML learning, http://w3schools.com/ is the best free source for tutorial on learning HTML, PHP, ASP, etc etc.

Anyway, I would love to help if you have anymore questions.

-Jeremy

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